The upcoming film 'Bastar: The Naxal Story' from the director of the controversial film 'The Kerala Story' has been called out by the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, alleging that the film propagates hate and incites violence.
The protest saw students burning effigies of director Sudipto Sen Sen, accusing him of spreading dangerous propaganda and calling for the lynching of JNU students. The teaser of the film, released on February 6, featured actor Adah Sharma portraying an IPS officer advocating for the public execution of "left liberal pseudo intellectuals" and alleging that students at JNU celebrated the killing of CRPF officers by Naxals in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
Aishe Ghosh, president of the JNU Students Union, took to social media to demand immediate action against Sudipto Sen, Adah Sharma, and the film's co-director and co-writer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, labeling their actions as an "open call for genocide" against JNU students. Ghosh emphasized the criminal nature of such propaganda and vowed to pursue legal avenues to address the issue.
The United Students of India (USI), a coalition of sixteen student organizations, issued a statement condemning the film's teaser as part of a broader fascist project aimed at tarnishing the Indian left and undermining the rule of law and constitutional principles.
The USI highlighted the ongoing trend of media and cultural industries engaging in propaganda against progressive and democratic movements under the current government, which often labels dissenters as traitors or anti-national.
Various student organizations including the All India Students Association (AISA), All India Students' Bloc (AISB), and the Student Wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), among others, joined the USI in denouncing the film's teaser and standing against the spread of hate speech and divisive propaganda.
In an open letter addressed to Sudipto Sen, the SFI Delhi referred to him as a "hate-mongering director" and expressed concern over the potential polarizing effects of his new film, similar to his previous work. The letter urged JNU students to see through the alleged hate and lies propagated against their university and community by Sen.
Sudipto Sen, in sharing the teaser of "Bastar: The Naxal Story," claimed a personal connection to the subject matter, stating that he was born just 50 kilometres away from where the Naxal movement originated and witnessed its evolution over the past 50 years.